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High-speed Internet is the technology that's had the greatest impact on society and the one that people say they can't live without, according to survey results from Zogby Interactive.

Released this week, Zogby's study found that 28 percent of those polled tagged broadband Internet as the one technology they can't live without; e-mail came in second at 18 percent. Facebook was lower on the overall list at only 3 percent, but among the younger crowd (18-24), 15 percent said they can't live without Facebook.

Looking at technologies that have had the greatest impact on society over the past 10 years, 24 percent named high-speed Internet, followed closely by Facebook at 22 percent. Google came in third at 10 percent.

The results also varied based on gender and age.

Women and adults under 55 tagged Facebook as having the most impact, while men and those over 55 pointed to high-speed Internet. Adults between 35 and 54 were split pretty evenly between the two. People fro…

The CIA has launched a WikiLeaks Task Force, better known by the agency as the acronym: WTF.

According to a report by the Washington Post, the agency has launched the task force to appraise the impact of thousands of sensitive diplomatic documents and military files hitting the web thanks to WikiLeaks.
Among the task force’s responsibilities is “whether the agency's ability to recruit informants could be damaged by declining confidence in the U.S. government's ability to keep secrets,” the report said.

CIA spokesman George Little told the paper that the panel is being led by the CIA's Counterintelligence Center. It is made up of more than two dozen members from departments across the agency.

"It's just a huge vulnerability," an unnamed former high-ranking CIA officer told the Post. "Nobody could carry out enough paper to do what WikiLeaks has done."

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan told players he was "embarrassed" by a controversy surrounding his wife on Wednesday, CB Darrelle Revis said.

Foot fetish videos emerged on the Internet with a woman who bears resemblance to Ryan's wife, Michelle. Asked several times about the videos during his news conference on Wednesday, Ryan declined to address it and said it was "a personal matter."

Revis told the Newark Star-Ledger that Ryan spoke to the team in the morning.Rex Ryan
CAPTIONBy Alan Maglaque, US Presswire
"He basically came in there and said, 'You guys might know about the situation; some of you guys might not know,' " Revis told the paper. "'You'll find out later on today. Right now, I feel embarrassed, but it's something personal with me. But right now we need to focus on Chicago,' and he'll take care of it from there."

The Jets travel to play the Bears on Sunday. A win would clinch a playoff spot.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama signs the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 Wednesday, ending the military ban on gays and lesbians openly serving in the military.

The Senate voted 65-31 Saturday to end the policy, which bars gays and lesbians serving in the U.S. military from being open about their sexual orientation. The House had approved repeal 250-175 last week. Putting the new policy into effect will take at least 60 days.

The daily schedule indicates Obama will meet with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in the Oval Office.

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A California cab rider who pulled a knife during an argument with the driver left a payment with a tip in the vehicle, police said.

A Sacramento police report said the cab driver told officers he had an argument with the rider about the destination at 20th and Q streets and he fled the vehicle on foot when the rider pulled out a folding-blade knife, The Sacramento Bee reported Wednesday.

Police said the rider, who did not make any verbal threats, also left the cab on foot, but left behind a payment with a tip.

TMZ reported von Anhalt, 66, underwent a surgical procedure to reopen his eye after he mistakenly squeezed glue in it Tuesday. He is expected to be released from a Los Angeles hospital soon, the entertainment industry Web site said.

Gabor, 93, has been battling multiple health issues in recent years and was recently hospitalized for hip-replacement surgery after suffering a fall.

"I met with Coach Brown two weeks ago about the team's performance and what we could do to improve it," Jordan said. "We met again this morning after practice. The team has clearly not lived up to either of our expectations, and we both agreed that a change was necessary."

The 70-year-old Hall of Fame coach has led the Bobcats since April 29, 2008, compiling a record of 88-104. Charlotte made it into the playoffs for the first time in the 2009-10 season, but got off to a 9-19 start this season.

Jordan said in a letter to the team's fans that he is bent on building a winner.

"I am sure you know that this was a difficult decision," Jordan said. "As I told you back in March, owning this team is my No. 1 priority. I am focused on building a winning team that you can be proud of and I will…

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. House approved a bill that would provide $4.2 billion to first responders with health problems after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York.

The House approved the measure on a 206-60 vote Wednesday, clearing it for consideration by President Obama, CNN reported.

Earlier Wednesday, the Senate approved a compromise measure on a voice vote. The deal was worked out by Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., The Hill reported.

The measure would establish a health benefits program for firefighters, police officers and construction workers who worked in the smoking remains of the World Trade Center for months following the collapse of the Twin Towers.

Many of the first-responders and cleanup crews were exposed to toxic substances that spewed into the atmosphere when the towers collapsed. The health benefits program also would help residents in the immediate area surrounding the towers who became ill after the attack.

Last week, ThinkProgress reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had quietly lobbied to help Republicans kill the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010,” a bill to compensate the first responders and emergency workers who suffered illnesses from working at Ground Zero.

The Chamber — a powerful trade association representing the health insurance industry, ExxonMobil, as well as dozens of foreign corporations — opposed the bill because it paid for health care benefits by ending a special tax loophole exploited by foreign corporations with business interests in the United States. The Chamber also demanded that Congress should stop deliberating over benefits for 9/11 heroes, and instead focus on extending “all of the expiring 2001 and 2003″ tax cuts.

Disclosures reveal that the Chamber used part of its multi-million lobbying budget on defeating the bill because of its funding provision. The Republican caucus, which was unified in opposition to the legislation, cite…

With the completion of the three team trade on Wednesday, the Lakers acquired power forward Joe Smith from New Jersey and parted ways with 7 year Laker Sasha Vujacic who went the other way to the Nets.

Joe Smith, for the most part, has had a non-descript and uneventful career. He was a skinny 19 year old project out of Maryland when the Golden State Warriors made him the #1 overall pick in the 1995 draft. Unfortunately for the Warriors, he never quite lived up to the expectations that come with being picked #1 overall and was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves two years later.

After his short stint with Golden State Joe went on to play for 11 other teams, never having a tenure of more than 3 years with any one them. Joe never put together a season of note after leaving Golden State as he never averaged more than 13.7 points per game or 8.2 rebounds per game or 1.5 blocks per game.

As his numbers show, he understandably never made an NBA All Star team, nor was he ever a part of a ch…

If you have been following gaming or movie news in the past month, you may have come across a man called Hugo Strange. Not only has the psychologist been revealed as a major character in Batman: Arkham City, he keeps being mentioned in the swirling gyre of rumors surrounding Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. (Probably because Tom Hardy has been confirmed to play a role in the movie, but nobody knows who he will be, and so the gears of fan speculation are grinding. Our hopes are pinned sky-high on Tommy Elliot).

We know first hand that there are all kinds of geeks in the world, and not all of their interests overlap, and so fans of The Dark Knight and Batman: Arkham Asylum might be wondering who the heck this obscure Batman villain is, what gives him any appeal, and what his role as antagonist may mean for a plot.

Allow us to explain.

Professor Hugo Strange and the Monsters

Hugo Strange is one of the oldest Batman villains, predating both the Joker and Catwoman. He’s actually…

What was once a troublesome trend is now a mini-epidemic: performers being injured in the new musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”

In a preview of the long-delayed production Monday night, Christopher Tierney, who performs many of Spider-Man’s most complicated flying stunts, fell an unspecified distance to the stage and had to be taken to a hospital when a harness or wire apparently failed.

A video taken by an audience member posted by the New York Times showed Tierney plunging off an elevated piece of scenery in a scene near the show’s conclusion.

“He fell several feet from a platform approximately seven minutes before the end of the performance, and the show was stopped,” a spokesman for the show said. “All signs were good as he was taken to the hospital for observation. We will have more news shortly.”

Natalie Mendoza, who plays the musical’s villainess Arachne and suffered a concussion in an earlier production accident, sent a Twitter message which read, "Please pray wit…